Genbanojou leads the traveling Natsugawa Genzaemon Troupe, a group of foxes who walk in human form alongside him, including O-Natsu and Shinzaemon. During a performance in Kikyougahara, Shin Province, the sight of the local oyaki—his favorite food—overwhelms Genbanojou with excitement. This intense delight causes his tail to pop out, involuntarily revealing his fox form to a young village girl, Hana. To safeguard his troupe's secret, Genbanojou swiftly strikes a bargain with Hana: he will grant her one wish in exchange for her silence. Hana wishes for her elderly great-grandmother, Chiyo, whom she calls Granny, to see cherry blossoms. Genbanojou accepts this request as the price for her secrecy.